Lens Recommendations for South Luangwa

South Luangwa is no doubt one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, and will afford you the opportunity to see Africa the way it was a 100 years ago!

There’s also a rich diversity of wildlife on offer here, and the park boasts the highest density of leopard & hippos, more than anywhere else in Africa.

Predator viewing here is a high-light, and animals in their environments another feature to look out for. The scenery is breathtaking & will leave you wanting capture the bigger picture in many of the scenario’s you’ll face.

16 – 70mm (wide angle)

I find that I use the reall wide-angle lenses a little less here. Perhaps the 24-70mm is a good focal length to bring along.

The scenery in South Luangwa is extremely beautiful though and it’s well worth packing a wide-angle, you never know what great opportunity you may come across.

The image above was taken at the largest Yellow-billed Stork colony in the Southern Hemisphere.

70 – 200mm (medium range zoom lens)

As always, the 70 – 200 lens needs to be by your side at all times in South Luangwa.

The scenery is incredibly beautiful and you’ll want to capture your subjects within it.

The image above is a panorama of 2 images stitched together. These options exists and the 70-200mm is the perfect focal length for it. The lens is small & light in weight, and easy to hand-hold for images such as the one above.

200 – 400mm (telephoto lenses)

The photographic opportunities for a telephoto lens in South Luangwa are endless.

Predators abound within this park, and you’ll be close to them. They are very habituated to the vehicle and will allow you many photographic opportunities.

Again, I try and stick with lenses below 500mm in range. The 500mm can very well work here, but the animals do venture close to you and you’ll more often than not need to photograph portraits of them, as opposed to the entire animal or a little environment. The 300mm, 200 – 400mm and 400mm lenses are fantastic for this region.

We also spend alot of time with predators here, and often in low light or under spotlight. You will need a lens capable of dealing with such light, and this will allow you to capture stunning imagery.

The 100-400mm range is an effective lens but does struggle a little at f5,6 in low-light. Be sure to have a good support system if you do bring that along. A monopod will do just fine.

About the Author

Marlon duToit

Passion, enthusiasm and an unquenchable thirst to explore and introduce you to our natural world’s wildlife perfectly sums up my ambitions. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.
Through my African adventures I kept my photographic passion alive. Behind a camera aimed at a lion or a leopard is where I am most at home, my heart skipping a beat at the mere thought of it.
My intention has never been solely for recognition but for the plight of what’s left of our natural recourses. Using my love and understanding of wildlife I am able to convey to the viewer more than an image or a fleeting moment. I aim to tell a story, to bring that moment alive to you and to capture your heart through it.

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